Germany's strongest back? This pro carries his team on his own | OneFootball

According to the "Statista" database, one third of all adults in Germany suffer from recurring back problems. Even though we’d rather not think so, Noel Futkeu is probably one of them at the moment. Right now, the striker is carrying Greuther Fürth all by himself in the 2. Bundesliga. An entire team? How is that supposed to work?

Strictly speaking, the Clover Leaves do of course have eleven players on the pitch every game – but without Futkeu, they could have started planning firmly for the 3. Liga months ago. Without a doubt, the 23-year-old is the biggest lifeline any team in German professional football can have these days.

In 33 matches this season, Futkeu has scored 18 goals and set up another five. That means he has been involved in 50 percent of all Fürth’s goals this season. Felix Klaus, the player with the second-most goals in the team, has managed just seven.

Most recently, the former Frankfurt player has scored in four straight matches. In the 3-2 home win against Darmstadt 98 on Matchday 30, Futkeu even bagged a hat-trick. “From my side, it’s a love affair. On and off the pitch, he’s simply a great guy and hugely important for us,” coach Heiko Vogel said about Futkeu at the following press conference. Naturally, he was also there for Fürth in their most important match of the season.

In the Franconian derby just under two weeks ago, Futkeu at least secured a point for his Clover Leaves in a 1-1 draw. He was so impressive that even a legendary striker was raving about him afterwards.

📸 Maja Hitij - 2026 Getty Images

"Futkeu is a very exciting striker. He is very mobile, finds his own spaces, and is always active. He also has a certain calmness when the ball is moving around. He recognizes when the defender steps out, when he can run into the space behind, when he has to come short for the ball. On top of that, he is very difficult for defenders to defend against." Miroslav Klose was visibly impressed by the opposing forward’s abilities. Was the FCN coach already eyeing a possible summer transfer?

If so, we have to pour cold water on the 2014 World Cup winner. On April 20, 2026, Eintracht Frankfurt had already announced the striker’s return. After Futkeu moved from Frankfurt’s U21 side to Fürth in the summer of 2024, the club from Hesse had a buy-back clause built into his contract.

That is exactly the clause SGE activated. For just €1.3 million, Futkeu will return to his former club in the summer. According to 'kicker', however, it is still unclear whether Frankfurt will keep the striker or sell him on for a higher fee. Still, it sounds like a perfect story for everyone involved, doesn’t it?

📸 Daniela Porcelli - 2025 Getty Images

Frankfurt get back a ready-made striker, Fürth pocket a transfer profit of more than one million euros, and Futkeu could take the next step in his career. So where’s the problem? The problem is 17th place in the table. Ahead of today’s match against Fortuna Düsseldorf (kick-off 3:30 p.m.), the Green-Whites are sitting in a direct relegation spot.

With a defeat or a draw against Düsseldorf, they would be playing in the third tier for the first time since 1997. At least there is some hope: a win could, for the time being, lift them into the relegation play-off spot.

Either Bielefeld lose at the same time against Hertha BSC, or Fürth score at least three goals against Fortuna and move ahead of them on goal difference. If both happen, then in the best-case scenario even 15th place is still possible.

"The fact is: we have to win now. It’s a very big task for us now," Noel Futkeu stressed to 'Sportschau' during the week.

Luckily, the striker recently proved that he can score three goals in a game. And let’s be honest: what kind of footballing hero story would it be if a player carried his team on his back all season only for them to be relegated in the end?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Lars Baron - 2025 Getty Images